Wire reel



Nov. 25, 1941.

s. GRIMSHAW v 2,264,149

WIRE REEL Filed July 10, 1939 Patented Nov. 25, 1941 WIRE REEL SydneyGrimshaw, New Haven, Conn., assignor to The F. B. Shuster Company, NewHaven, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application July 10, 1939,Serial No. 283,601

7 Claims.

My invention relates to the class of devices which are employed forsupporting coils of Wire in a manner to permit such wire to be unwoundfor various purposes, as an example, for supply to a machine forstraightening wire to remove bends, kinks, etc., and an object of myinvention, among others, is the production of a reel which may bereadily positioned for placing a coil of wire thereon and then arrangedto support the coils in various positions to permit the wire to beunwound as required; and a further object of the invention is theproduction of a structure of this type that shall be particularly rigidand strong and well capable of resisting severe usage to which it issubjected.

One form of a wire reel embodying my invention and in the constructionand use of which the objects herein set out, as well as others, may beattained is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1is a view in elevation of my improved wire reel.

Figure 2 is a similar view but looking from a point of View at rightangles to the point of View of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a top plan view.

Figure 4 is a view in horizontal section on a plane denoted by thedotted line 44 of Fig. 1.

Figure 5 is a view on enlarged scale illustrating the counterbalancingsegment and the detent for holding it in position.

Figure 6 is a view in section on a plane denoted by the dotted line 6-5in Fig. 5.

Figure '7 is a view in section illustrating the mounting of the disk forpositioning the wire supporting arms and the guide bars for such arms.

The base comprising the main support for this improved reel isconstructed principally from bars of channel or other angle iron formsand is preferably of rectangular shape. It comprises two base bars 8 ofchannel iron bounding two sides other pair of bars ll of similarconstruction are 7 secured at their ends in spaced relation at oppositesides of the center and have upstanding flanges 2 for the attachment ofposts to support the reel-structure. A tie bar i3 is secured at itsopposite ends to the opposite side of the frame from the bars 9, theflange of this tie bar being cut away at its ends to receive the ends ofthe base bars 8, the balance of said flange being bent downwardlybetween the base bars to form a support for a detent actuating shaft tobe hereinafter described. All of the bars and posts hereinbeforedescribed may be secured together in any suitable manner, as by weldingor otherwise.

Reel supporting posts M of channel construction are secured at theirlower ends to the flanges E2 of the bars I I and substantially at thelengthwise center of said bars, that is, in the center of the supportingbase. These bars are of channel iron with the fiat sides facing eachother. A counterbalance is pivotally supported for swinging movementbetween and at the upper ends of the posts Hi, this counterbalancecomprising a segment l5 and a head [6, the latter preferably extendingabove the upper ends of the posts. A hole is bored into the end of thehead l6 and a reel supporting spindle I! is secured within the hole andextends outwardly therefrom as shown in Fig. 7. A seat l8 for the reelstructure is secured to said spindle preferably a slight distance fromthe end of the head 16 and a sleeve I9 is rotatably mounted upon thespindle I! against the seat I 8, said sleeve having a flange 20preferably removably secured thereto.

A cam disk 2| is rotatably mounted on the spindle said disk having camslots 22 for the actuation of coil supporting arms 23. These arms areslidably supported upon bars 24 secured at their outer ends to a barsupporting ring 25 and at their inner ends by a collar 26 secured to thesleeve l9, said bars projecting into recesses in said collar and beingsecured therein. The arms 23 have holes through which the bars 24 extendand the lower ends of the arms are provided with studs 2'! that projectin to the cam slots 22, one of these studs 28 extending through the camdisk 2! and being threaded to receive a clamp nut 29, this clamp nutacting to secure'its arm as well as all of the other arms againstsliding movement and thereby retaining the cam disk 2| in position. Aretaining disk 30 may be secured to the spindle I! to hold the reelstructure in place on said spindle.

The segment I5 is of considerable thickness to provide weight tocounterbalance that of a coil of wire supported on the arms ,23. Agroove 3| is formed in the edge of the segment l5, the bottom of thisgroove on one side having teeth 32. These teeth extend for substantiallyone-half the width of the groove, the balance of the groove justdescribed being untoothed. A detent 33 is slidably mount-L ed upondetent supporting rods 34 extending between detent supporting posts 35,these posts having been hereinbefore referred to as secured to theflanges of the tie bars 9. In its holding position the detent 33 isengaged with the teeth 32 of the segment IE but may be freed from saidteeth by a sliding movement in which position it will be located in theuntoothed part of the groove 3|.

The detent is actuated by a detent actuating arm 36 secured at its upperend to the detent as shown in Fig. 6 and secured at its lower end to adetent actuating shaft 3! rotatably mounted-at its inner end in a block38 secured to one .of the tie bars 9, the opposite and outer end of"said shaft being rotatably supported by a flange-39 projectingdownwardly from thetiebar l3 hereinbefore referred to. A trea-dle lever40 is secured to the shaft 31 as a means for operating -the detent 33,foot pads 4| located at opposite ends ofthe lever Serving as a'means foroperating it, foot pressure upon one pad serving to disengage the detentfrom the teeth 32 of the segment l5 and pressure upon the other padserving to engage'said parts. A I

When it'is desired to load the reel by placing a coil of wire upon thearms 23 one of the pads 4| is pressed downwardly thereby disengaging thedetent 33 from the segment l5; flhe reel may now be tipped to theposition shown in dotted line in Fig. 1, and a coil of wire having beenplacedthereon the reel is tipped backwardly to its fo'rmer position andit is here noted that this operative position of the reel may be in avertical position as shown in Fig. 1, or in any other angular positionbetween said verticaland' a horizontal position, the teeth 32 on thesegment l'5'e'nabling' engagement of the detent 33 therewith to hold thereel in any of these desired positions.

Thecam" plate or disk'Zi maybe rotated inde pendently of the other partsof the 'reel'and for adjustment of the wire supporting arms as' by meansof a handle '42 projecting from one side of the carn platel V Inaccordance with the provisions of the patent statutes I have describedthe principles of operation of my invention, togetherwith the devicewhich I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof; but Idesire to haveit understood that the device shown is only illustrativeand that the invention maybe carried out by othermeans and applied touses other'than those above set out.

I claifnt 1. A wire reel structure comprising a base ineluding base barsof channel form placed to rest on" the edges of their flanges with theouter flat faces of the base bars upward, pairs of angle iron tiebarssecured to the upward facing flat faces of said-base bars, with theupstanding flanges from the edges of each pair of tie bars facing eacho'ther'and spaced to receive supporting posts between them, pairs ofsupporting posts each member of each pair being composed of channel ironof the width of the space between the pairs of cluding base bars ofchannel form placed with their outer flat faces upward and resting onthe edges of their flanges, pairs of angle iron tie bars secured to theupwardly facing flat faces of said base bars with the upstanding flangesfrom opposite edges of each pair of tie bars facing each other andspaced to receive supporting posts between them, pairs of supportingposts, each member of each pair being composed of channel iron of awidth of the space between the pairs of tie bars and with the oppositeflanges of the supporting posts secured to the upstanding flanges of oneof the tie bars, a tie bar of angle iron secured to the tops of the basebars at one edge of the base with its flange cut away at the ends toreceive said base ,bars and projecting downwardly, a wire reel pivotallyadjustably supported byone pair of supporting posts, means supported bythe other pair of supporting posts for retaining said reel indifferentangular positions, and a shaft. mounted at one end in the flange of saidlast mentioned tie bar and operatively connected at its opposite endwith the reel retaining means for operation of the latter.

3. A wire reel structure comprising a base in-' cluding base bars ofchannel form placed to rest on the edges of their flanges with the outerflat faces of the base bars facing'upward, pairs of angle iron tie barsresting on and secured to said upward facing flat faces of the base barswith the upstanding flanges of thetie bars facing each other andspaced'to receive supporting post's between them, pairs of supportingposts, each member of each post being composed of channel iron of awidth of the space between the pairs of tie bars, and with oppositeflanges of each supporting post secured to the upstanding flanges of thetie bars, a wire reelsupported by one pair of supporting posts, acounterweight depending from said reel and formed as a segment, saidweight having closely arranged gear teeth on the periphery thereof, anda detent supported by tlie'other pair of supporting posts at a distancefrom the first pair of supporting posts and engageable with said gearteeth to hold said reel in different but closely located positions ofadjustment.

4. A wire reel structure comprising a base, a supporting frame securedto and rising from said base, a wire reel support rotatably mounted onsaid frame, a wire reel rotatably mounted on said wire reel support, acounter-balancing weight secured to and depending from said reelsupport, said weight being in the form of a segment having a groove inits edge, gear teeth closely associated with each other projecting fromthe bottom of said groove at one side thereof leaving a supplementalgroove extending alongside said teeth, a detent extending into saidsegmental groove and engageable with said gear teeth by a movementlengthwise of said teeth, and means for imparting lateral movement tosaid detent to effect said engagement.

5. A wire reel structure comprising a base, a supporting frame securedto and rising from said base, awire reel support rotatably mounted onsaid frame, a wire reel rotatably mounted on said wire reel support, acounterbalancing weight secured to and depending from said wire reelsupport, said weight being in the form of a segment having a groove inits edge, gear teeth closely associated with each other projecting fromthe bottom of said groove, a detent extending into said groove andengageable with said teeth, and means for operating said detent toengage it with and to disengage it from said teeth.

6. A wire reel structure comprising a base, a supporting frame securedto and rising from said base, a wire reel support rotatably mounted onsaid frame, a wire reel rotatably mounted on said support, acounterbalancing weight secured to and depending from said wire reelsupport, gear teeth closely associated with each other projecting fromsaid counterbalancing weight, a pair of posts rising from said base toreceive the edge of said weight between them for the support of saidweight, guide bars extending between said posts, a detent slidablymounted on said guide bars to engage with and disengage from said teethby movement endwise thereof, and means for actuating said detent.

7. A wire reel structure comprising a base including base bars atopposite edges thereof, tie bars connecting said base bars, one of saidtie bars being of angle iron with its flange cut away at. opposite endsto receive said base bars and with the balance of said flange projectingbetween said base bars, a supporting frame secured to and rising fromsaid base, a wire reel support rotatably mounted on said frame, a wirereel rotatably mounted on said support, a counterbalancing weightsecured to and depending from said wire reel support, gear teeth closelyassociated with each other and projecting from said weight, a detentengageable with and disengageable from said teeth by movement endwise ofsaid teeth, a shaft rotatably mounted in said base and extendingthereacross from side to side with its outer end rotatably mounted insaid flange, an operative connection between the end of said shaftopposite said flange and said detent, and a treadle secured intermediateits ends to said shaft at that end opposite said detent whereby pressureon opposite ends of the treadle will rotate said shaft in oppositedirections to operate said detent.

SYDNEY GRIMSHAW.

